Report States Female and Elderly Customers ‘Routinely Overcharged’ by Plumbers

A report in The Times, 16th September stated female and elderly customers ‘routinely overcharged’ by up to 53%. Stopcocks Women Plumbers founder Hattie Hasan was asked to respond in an interview with Yasmeen Khan on Talk Radio.

Hattie Hasan

The research, carried out on behalf of Anchor Pumps showed that female customers were being charged up to 53% more than men and elderly customers up to 36% more than middle aged men.

Khan said it ‘makes my blood boil’ that she and others are being charged more because of age or gender. Hasan deplored the situation and answered that this is common in Stopcocks experience and advised customers to find a plumber who loves plumbing as a way to assess whether people are in it ‘just for the money’.

Several recent studies have shown female and older customers routinely overcharged in a variety of industries, this report specifically into plumbing charges shows that overcharging is worst in the North East.

Hattie explained she started Stopcocks Women Plumbers in response to requests from customers around the country who wanted her kind of trustworthy service and women plumbers wanting help to get into the industry. Stopcocks launched as a franchise in March 2017 which will enable it to serve more customers whilst preserving it’s high standards.

Many female customers who call Stopcocks tell them they find plumbers ignore them and speak to males in the room or ‘the space next to them their male partner would occupy’. Customers return to Stopcocks because they appreciate being treated with respect, having issues and solutions clearly explained so they can make informed decisions.